The human anatomy includes many articulating portions. For example, the femur and the tibia form a knee joint in the human anatomy. The femur and tibia articulate relative to one another during many activities, such as walking or kneeling. Nevertheless, over time, disease and/or injury can deteriorate the knee joint, such that articulation of the joint becomes painful or impractical. When such injuries occur, anatomical replacements, particularly prosthetics, can be placed in the femur, tibia, or both. The prosthetics may replace the articulating portions and allow a substantially natural articulation of the joint. Replacing the damaged portions allow for a much easier and more practical articulation of the knee joint to assist the individual in returning to a more natural lifestyle.
To replace joints, such as the knee joint, the original or natural anatomy, including boney portions, must first be removed or resected. For example, the knee joint includes the condyles of the femur and the tibial plateau. The condyles of the femur articulate with a meniscus in the knee joint, which is supported by the tibia. To replace the knee joint, particularly replacing the articulating portions, the tibial plateau and the condyles of the femur are generally removed.
Often, the condyles of the femur are removed with a saw blade or other reaming devices. The femur is shaped to receive the prosthetic, which will simulate the condyles of the femur after implantation. Specifically, the femur must be shaped to substantially compliment the superior portion of the femoral implant to ensure a substantially tight and secure fit between the femoral implant and the femur.
Likewise, the tibia must be resected to properly receive the tibial implant. This often requires removing the superior portion of the tibia so that an implant can be securely fixed to the superior portion of the resected tibia. A saw blade or other reaming device is used to remove the superior portion and substantially flatten the superior portion of the tibia. After this, a tibial implant can be implanted onto the tibia and securely fixed in place.
To perform such knee replacements, and other joint replacements, it is desirable to allow a less invasive procedure. During less invasive surgeries, the incision to insert the tools is kept to a minimum. Likewise, the tools and instruments used to perform the procedure are optimized to provide minimal abrasion and trauma to the surrounding soft tissue. Therefore, it is desirable to provide instruments that can be used through very small incisions to decrease the amount of trauma to the soft tissue. Similarly, the ease of use of the smaller instruments is desired to be enhanced to allow for an efficient and proper use during the surgical procedure.